To Dance With Death. D. Jay Lind. Starring Brinke Stevens, Lauren Westen. A young woman attempts suicide, and ten months later finds herself haunted by strange visions. Director Lind is best-known for his erotic re-make Do You Like Women?, a film starring Debbie Rochon and the late Maria Pechukas, which, due to distribution and money problems, almost became a b-movie urban legend. At first glance, To Dance with Death, seems like yet another girl-on-girl yawn-fest under the guise of "erotic horror", but don't let it fool you. In a way, it's more a stylish nod to Carnival of Souls than it is kin to The Erotic Ghost, and doesn't even come close to the expected groin-fest. To Dance with Death is a restrained, almost old-fashioned movie. While nudity is rampant throughout the film, the camera remains respectful, and during the film's one implied lesbian love scene, Lind chooses to dissolve to the next scene, rather than dwelling on the actresses' coupling, which would usually be the highlight of the picture.

Lind makes the most of the limitations of the video format and his limited budget. He gets terrific performances from the usually-solid Stevens, though it is Westen, in the leading role, that holds the film together with her natural portrayal of a woman trying to recover from a traumatic experience and rebuild her life. Viewers will guess the ending long before the characters do, but it's a journey worth taking. In this day and age of b-movie excess, it's nice to see a movie focus more on story and character, rather than the nude acrobatics of its cast.

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